Saturday 27 August 2011
Friday 26 August 2011
Why Yuva Sambad?
From the Editor
Soumya Ranjan Patnaik
We expect the immediate reaction of most of you to Yuva Sambad/Sambad Plus would be (a) another youth supplement? and/or (b) why in English?
Firstly, Yuva Sambad/Sambad Plus is not just another magazine aimed at the youth. What’s unique about it is that it is probably the first free English supplement to an Odia daily broadsheet. Secondly, it is not just for youth if you go by the accepted definition of the word “between childhood and adulthood.” It is for the school-going child, for graduates and for postgraduates. Age has nothing to do with it.
Yuva Sambad/Sambad Plus is for those Odia youth who want direction in life, who wish to make a contribution to society, to the world and to the welfare of the country. And they can do this if they realize that their goal in life is not just a dreary 9-to-5 job. This is the age of globalization.
Indian trade, manufacturing and management activities at the highest levels have a noticeable effect on the world economy, not just on our country. Today, India has the largest cadre of professionals than any other country—be they doctors, engineers, academics or managers. To achieve our ambitions and to set our sights high, we in Odisha need to consider the global environment and become contributors to it. And that brings us to the “why in English?” reaction.
Indian languages go back to Sanskrit and Tulu, on which almost every Indian language today is based. No one can deny the rich traditions that are inherent in our culture. However, the world is becoming smaller by the day, especially after the revolution in information technology. We are practically drowning in information in the form of newspapers, electronic media and the biggest ever happening, the World Wide Web. Everything is just a click away.
To exploit this treasure house of information to our benefit we must understand it; we need to know English which, for whatever reason, is the global language of economics, science, trade, entrepreneurship, healthcare and even social activities. Most of us can read, write and talk in English to meet the requirements of an ordinary job. However, to enter and interact with the global community, of which India today is one of the most important and envied members, one must learn the nuances of the language so that one can seamlessly interact on the global scene which is where the real vocations are based. Not that India lacks them. But the opportunities in Odisha are not enough to absorb the hordes of young Indian men and women who are pouring out of our institutions of academic excellence.
Today, Indian professionals are spread over every country in the world but still the demand for Indian brilliance is not sated. And the high calibre of the Indian professional is recognized all over the world.
Why else would the world’s MNCs crowd our institutions for campus recruitments, offering salary packages which, a decade and half ago, nobody could imagine? Want to join this high-flying cadre of workers?
Improve your English! That’s the purpose of Yuva Sambad/Sambad Plus.
A more pertinent, and difficult, question to answer is how do we go about achieving this. Frankly, we don’t know—but we do know where to look for the answer. You can do it. Yuva Sambad/Sambad Plus calls on the youth: children, young persons, students and teachers. It is intended to provide a platform to which you can direct your queries, doubts, fears and any problem that you are facing concerning your vocational goals. We invite your peers (and, believe us, you do have peers; you are not alone) who have gone through the same or similar problems to tell you, and us, how they went about solving them. On our part, our panel of eminent experts will take over and advise you appropriately in case none of your peers are able to do so.
We would prefer, however, that the answers are from your peers. No amount of training can be better than advice from a person who has gone through, and solved, a similar problem on his or her own.
Yuva Sambad/Sambad Plus belongs to the youth of Odisha. It is for them to shape it as they wish to their best advantage. We just provide the resources; you provide the inputs.
Meanwhile, we will bring you news and articles which reflect on a number of subjects that we hope will interest you. They will be written with great care, in modern English that will not only be informative and entertaining but will also serve as a guide to writing contemporary English.
Soumya Ranjan Patnaik
We expect the immediate reaction of most of you to Yuva Sambad/Sambad Plus would be (a) another youth supplement? and/or (b) why in English?Firstly, Yuva Sambad/Sambad Plus is not just another magazine aimed at the youth. What’s unique about it is that it is probably the first free English supplement to an Odia daily broadsheet. Secondly, it is not just for youth if you go by the accepted definition of the word “between childhood and adulthood.” It is for the school-going child, for graduates and for postgraduates. Age has nothing to do with it.
Yuva Sambad/Sambad Plus is for those Odia youth who want direction in life, who wish to make a contribution to society, to the world and to the welfare of the country. And they can do this if they realize that their goal in life is not just a dreary 9-to-5 job. This is the age of globalization.
Indian trade, manufacturing and management activities at the highest levels have a noticeable effect on the world economy, not just on our country. Today, India has the largest cadre of professionals than any other country—be they doctors, engineers, academics or managers. To achieve our ambitions and to set our sights high, we in Odisha need to consider the global environment and become contributors to it. And that brings us to the “why in English?” reaction.
Indian languages go back to Sanskrit and Tulu, on which almost every Indian language today is based. No one can deny the rich traditions that are inherent in our culture. However, the world is becoming smaller by the day, especially after the revolution in information technology. We are practically drowning in information in the form of newspapers, electronic media and the biggest ever happening, the World Wide Web. Everything is just a click away.
To exploit this treasure house of information to our benefit we must understand it; we need to know English which, for whatever reason, is the global language of economics, science, trade, entrepreneurship, healthcare and even social activities. Most of us can read, write and talk in English to meet the requirements of an ordinary job. However, to enter and interact with the global community, of which India today is one of the most important and envied members, one must learn the nuances of the language so that one can seamlessly interact on the global scene which is where the real vocations are based. Not that India lacks them. But the opportunities in Odisha are not enough to absorb the hordes of young Indian men and women who are pouring out of our institutions of academic excellence.
Today, Indian professionals are spread over every country in the world but still the demand for Indian brilliance is not sated. And the high calibre of the Indian professional is recognized all over the world.
Why else would the world’s MNCs crowd our institutions for campus recruitments, offering salary packages which, a decade and half ago, nobody could imagine? Want to join this high-flying cadre of workers?
Improve your English! That’s the purpose of Yuva Sambad/Sambad Plus.
A more pertinent, and difficult, question to answer is how do we go about achieving this. Frankly, we don’t know—but we do know where to look for the answer. You can do it. Yuva Sambad/Sambad Plus calls on the youth: children, young persons, students and teachers. It is intended to provide a platform to which you can direct your queries, doubts, fears and any problem that you are facing concerning your vocational goals. We invite your peers (and, believe us, you do have peers; you are not alone) who have gone through the same or similar problems to tell you, and us, how they went about solving them. On our part, our panel of eminent experts will take over and advise you appropriately in case none of your peers are able to do so.
We would prefer, however, that the answers are from your peers. No amount of training can be better than advice from a person who has gone through, and solved, a similar problem on his or her own.
Yuva Sambad/Sambad Plus belongs to the youth of Odisha. It is for them to shape it as they wish to their best advantage. We just provide the resources; you provide the inputs.
Meanwhile, we will bring you news and articles which reflect on a number of subjects that we hope will interest you. They will be written with great care, in modern English that will not only be informative and entertaining but will also serve as a guide to writing contemporary English.
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